


oh how horrible, to love something death can touch

by lover_of_queens



Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Tw: there are some brief mentions of Yennefer's suicide attempt and her scars, tissaia is small and yennefer is scared, tw: there are some mentions of blood as Tissaia does get stabbed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:15:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25081477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lover_of_queens/pseuds/lover_of_queens
Summary: "Everyone thinks they know what it feels like to get stabbed. It turns out the reality is much, much different. "When Tissaia gets attacked, she portals herself to Yennefer, who she has not spoken to in years.Recovering from the surprise of seeing her again, Yennefer does what she can to keep Tissaia alive, and with emotions high, they are forced to confront their feelings for each other. But with a ticking clock and Tissaia fading, will Yennefer be able to save her?
Relationships: Tissaia de Vries/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Comments: 17
Kudos: 118





	oh how horrible, to love something death can touch

**Author's Note:**

> Title is greatly inspired by the poem 'Tis a Fearful Thing' by Yehuda Halevi. 
> 
> This work really got away from me, I sat down to write and try and process some of the grief of losing my cat, expecting this work to maybe be about 2k words or so? But as you can see it ended up being a lot more than that. I do hope you enjoy this story, it means a lot to me and I hope you can forgive any errors here or there! I love this story but rereading it over and over to edit was a bit difficult. 
> 
> (Also I mentioned this in the tags but just to be safe trigger warnings for mentions of blood and there are some brief moments where Yennefer's scars are brought up)
> 
> Happy reading, lovelies!

Everyone thinks they know what it feels like to get stabbed. It turns out the reality is much, much different. 

Tissaia did not know how Stregobor had crept up on her, his footfalls always sent birds scattering. Now, she had barely heard the disturbance in the air as he came up behind her. It was just enough to shift ever so slightly out of the way as he brought the blade around and angled up for her heart. 

So, instead, she felt the steel pierce through the soft skin of her stomach, she saw the stars explode behind her eyes. She wondered if everyone saw the explosion of the cosmos before becoming a part of it themselves. For a minute, she saw the beauty of death.

But only for a minute. 

She brought her hand to the wound, fingers coming away sticky and wet. It reminded her of a child’s hand, they were always sticky, weren’t they? Not that Tissaia had any experience with the foul creatures. She did not know why she was thinking of children right now. 

Maybe it was thoughts of her younger self flickering through her mind. Faces she couldn’t place, voices she couldn’t remember. Tissaia had not realized how much she had forgotten until just now. Had not realized how forgetting did not seem to be quite the cure it was always made out to be. 

Tissaia turned to face her assailant. She refused to die with her back turned. 

Stregobor moved again, but this time he was clumsy. Having lost the advantage of his stealth when he swung the blade towards her again Tissaia had just enough time to react to move to the side.

The blade embedded itself in the desk and Tissaia met Stregobor’s eyes. They both realized his mistake at the same time and as he fought to free the blade, Tissaia summoned whatever remaining strength she had and stepped through the swirling blues to somewhere Stregobor was not. 

Tissaia saw a flash of a woman, sitting in a chair, long black hair shifting ever so slightly in the faint breeze. She didn’t know where she was, but she would recognize that silhouette anywhere. Even after she had perfected herself, Tissaia knew there was only one person who sat that straight. Who had paid so much attention to her posture that she was unable to relax even when she was the only soul in the room. 

Tissaia just couldn’t figure out why, out of all places and of all people, when she had cast her magic out it had brought her to her. 

To  _ Yennefer _ . 

But she did not have much time to analyze the thought. For as soon as Yennefer had turned to see what the commotion was behind her, Tissaia’s head hit the floor. Her vision going black. 

* * *

Yennefer had been having a good day, which was a surprise because she tended to consider her life an endless series of average days after the other. But today, she had woken up to the sun on her face, the faint burbling of the river in the distance. 

She had remembered what warmth felt like. What contentment had felt like. 

She had spent the past several months on the move, going from town to town looking for anybody who could help her find a way to get her fertility back. And finally, she had tracked a lead down to Rinde. She was the closest she had ever been to getting what she wanted. 

So, of course, just as she was getting herself ready to go to the meet she had set up with the aforementioned lead, someone would portal into her room. Because why should Yennefer’s life ever be easy. 

A long sigh escaped her body, wondering if she’d have to pull on her magic soon. It would just be like the brotherhood to send an assassin to kill her in her room. 

Foolish bastards. 

Yennefer turned her head to glance at whatever the commotion was behind her. “Right, so would you mind explaining just who you are and why-”

Her words caught in her throat. She was expecting some haughty arrogant man and the sight of Tissaia laying in a pool of her own blood nearly stopped her heart. 

“Tissaia?” Yennefer said though she herself could barely hear the words. The tone of her voice was not her own. No, it belonged to a Yennefer that she thought no longer existed. A version of herself who she thought she had long buried. 

It was the voice of a broken girl. A girl who wanted nothing more than someone to love her. A girl who had been purchased for four marks by who she thought was a cruel mistress. 

She never thought she would see Tissaia again. Much less see her bleeding and broken on her floor. 

“Tissaia!” She yelled, with a voice that sounded much more like her own as she ran over to her.

Yennefer knelt on the floor, only too aware that the fabric at her knees was starting to get damp. She wished she could deny what it was. But as she rolled Tissaia over, with as much care as she possibly could, her eyes found the wound at her stomach. 

“Fucking, fuck,” Yennefer whispered underneath her breath. She was never particularly well-liked so she had had to care for her fair share of wounds but this … her heart clenched. She didn’t like the look of this at all. 

Yennefer pulled Tissaia into her lap, letting her head rest on her knees. 

“Tissaia, please,” she begged. She couldn’t remember the last time she had begged anyone for anything. 

“Please open your eyes.” 

For the first time in her life, Tissaia listened to her, as her eyes fluttered open weakly. Yennefer could see Tissaia’s vision swimming as her eyes darted around in circles before eventually meeting Yennefer’s own. 

For the first time in her life, Yennefer forgot she was supposed to hate Tissaia as waves of relief crashed over her body. She thought that she had lost her. She would not lose her. Even if Yennefer had to fight off the will of death itself she would not allow it to get anywhere near Tissaia. 

She would examine why she felt this strongly another time. She had more pressing matters. Like the fact that while Tissaia had woken up, she was still bleeding out. Yennefer could feel the warmth of Tissaia’s blood on her hands and her head spun. 

Tissaia was supposed to be strong. Tissaia was supposed to be invincible. 

“Yenn-” Tissaia said or tried to. She couldn’t seem to get the rest of Yennefer’s name out of her mouth. 

“Shh, shh. It’s okay. Can you stand?”

Yennefer knew from the moment Tissaia didn’t attempt to say yes or nod her head that the answer was no. She also knew that Tissaia would never admit to weakness, especially to her. But, Tissaia couldn’t stop the tear from running down her cheek though. Nor hide the pain in her eyes. 

Yennefer did her the favour of pretending not to acknowledge it. She adjusted her grip on Tissaia, being ever so careful to ensure she wasn’t causing Tissaia any unnecessary pain. And with strength that she didn’t know she had, she lifted Tissaia up, holding the woman tight against her chest. 

And yet Tissaia was still lighter than Yennefer thought she would be. Almost limp in her arms Tissaia felt like nothing more than a doll and Yennefer felt her breath hitch. Oh … Tissaia was so  _ small,  _ so vulnerable. How had she ever convinced Yennefer otherwise? 

“You’re okay,” Yennefer whispered as she carried Tissaia over the bed, setting her down as gently as possible. 

The words were repeating in her head like a speeding bullet stuck going in circles.  _ She’s going to be okay. She’s going to be okay. She’s going to be okay. She’s going to be okay. She’s going to be okay. _

There was no other option. 

Yennefer rushed over to the closet where she had hung her dresses up the night before and grabbed one at random, she didn’t care how much she loved it. She spared not a single thought as she tore into the fabric. 

“I’m going to wrap this around you, okay? It should help slow the bleeding.”

Tissaia didn’t respond. Yennefer did what she had to until she was satisfied with the placeholder bandage she had created. 

Tissaia reached out and grabbed at Yennefer’s wrist, though her grip was loose. Yennefer reached out and put her other hand over Tissaia’s. Anything to ground herself, right now her mind was running in too many different directions. Too many paths lay ahead of her. 

“Yennefer.”

“Save your strength.”

“I don’t want to die.”

_ Oh.  _

Yennefer thought of how many times she wished Tissaia dead. Guilt crept over her heart at the few times she had considered doing it herself. First, when Tissaia had bought her like she was some common animal and then a couple times sprinkled through the years whenever Tissaia had been particularly cruel. 

Yennefer always thought ‘be careful what you wish for’ was a saying for the foolish. For those who didn’t know how to control their thoughts, their desires. She couldn’t believe how wrong she was. 

Just yesterday, Yennefer had been thinking up witty jabs should she ever run into Tissaia again. The things she would scream at her, how she would throw the whole bottle away, and lose all of her goddamn chaos. 

And now, all of that melted away. Yennefer had always set Tissaia apart in her mind as ‘Other’ and as something untouchable. But the fear she saw in Tissaia’s eyes as she looked up at her reminded her that Tissaia was only a person. 

And it was becoming all too clear why Yennefer had spent years pushing Tissaia away. Why she refused to think about Tissaia in any way which might relate to herself. Because all of this time Yennefer had been running from the truth. 

That despite all Tissaia’s flaws, despite everything she had done and all the pain she caused … she had saved Yennefer. Yennefer had been broken beyond hope but Tissaia had seen something in her that no one else had and she gave her a chance at something better. 

Tissaia had saved her. And Yennefer loved her for it. 

And the weight of that realization was nearly enough to knock her off of her feet. Yennefer loved her in a way she had never loved anyone before. In a way that she knew was real and true and not manipulated by other people or other factors. 

“I won’t let you die, I promise you that Tissaia..”

Tissaia didn’t look like she much believed her. Yennefer supposed that she couldn’t fault her for it either., Yennefer had spent years making her great displeasure of the Rectoress known all over the continent. If she had to make a guess, she figured Tissaia was probably surprised that Yennefer hadn’t just finished the job herself. 

Though ... why did Tissaia portal herself here of all places? Surely there must have been other people that she could have run to. Regardless, it didn’t change the fact that she was here now. 

Yennefer pulled down the sleeves of her dress slightly and turned her palms so that Tissaia could see the scars that still marred her wrists. She saw Tissaia’s eyes flicker in recognition. 

“I di-did not know you kept …” Tissaia trailed off. 

“See, I have a few surprises up my sleeve,” Yennefer offered her a sad smile, though Tissaia didn’t return it. 

“You didn’t let me die that night, and I won’t let you die now.” 

A pause. 

“I’ll be a bit less of a bitch about it though.” 

That got Tissaia to laugh, even if it only was a small one. Still, it was enough to give Yennefer hope that maybe Tissaia wasn’t as far gone as she had feared. Maybe she could recover from this. 

Then something clicked. The person she was supposed to be meeting, they were renowned for their magics and potions. Surely, they would have something that could help. Yennefer had spent most of her own magic doing foolish corrective spells for the townspeople yesterday. 

If only she had known. She would have saved it all for now. But the option did not befall her and so she knew what she had to do. 

Without a thought to why, she bent over and pressed a kiss to Tissaia’s forehead. When she pulled away the same sadness remained in Tissaia’s eyes - oh, it was so strange to see behind the guards the Recotoress had always put up. To get a glimpse of what lay beneath. 

“I will be right back, there’s someone I know who will be able to give me something to help you.” 

Tissaia blinked in acknowledgment. Yennefer supposed it was the best she could hope for, she knew while Tissaia had considerable strength it was bound to be fading fast. That bandage she had wrapped around Tissaia was turning darker in colour by the minute. 

“Please try not to die while I’m gone.” 

Tissaia rolled her eyes.

* * *

When Yennefer entered the tavern the whole place was deserted, save one man sipping from a tankard with his back turned to her. If the sudden appearance of someone else in the tavern surprised him then he didn’t show it. 

The sun was only now starting to set but the warm glow of candlelight lit the place up. Yennefer moved towards the table where the man was, eventually sitting opposite him when he still made no movement to acknowledge her. 

“I have been waiting for you,” was all he had to say. 

“I would say I’m sorry but quite honestly I’m not, something more pressing came up. And I’m going to need you to add a healing draught to my tab.”

He looked up at her, a slow smile spreading across his face as though he had just been given the best news in the world. It was quite unnerving but Yennefer was never one to back down. She tried to still the shaking of her palms, she didn’t want to give him any sign that she was in a massive hurry. As though Tissaia wasn’t bleeding out only a few minutes away. 

But he was still looking at her like the cat that ate the canary so she figured she wasn’t hiding her urgency as well as she had thought. 

“No.”

“Excuse me,” Yennefer snarled, “I would advise you against denying me right now.”

“You can certainly have the healing draught, I carry them on me at all times, they are certainly the most in-demand. But if you want that then you cannot have the fertility cure you were so desperate for.”

Yennefer stared at him. Utterly speechless. Her nails dug into the ale soaked wood of the table. She was sure she would be pulling splinters out for weeks. She didn’t care. She was going to kill him. 

“How dare-”

“Money is not the reason I am in this business. No, it is simply an enjoyable benefit. I’ve always enjoyed the thought processes of beings, the war that wages when people are presented with a choice. The realization they must face that there is one desire they want more than the other.”

“Get to the point, I don’t have time for this.”

He chuckled, a low ominous thing. “You have been making noise, Yennefer, looking for this cure. From what I’ve heard finding it is the only thing motivating you... Yet, you come here and ask for a potion of healing and you, yourself, are not injured. That means it must be someone else, someone you care about.” 

Yennefer was seconds away from an explosion. 

“So, you must make a choice. The thing that you have craved all of these years, the thing you want most in the world … or the life of this person you are trying to save. You need to ask yourself, is their life worth everything you want?”

“Give me the  _ fucking  _ healing draught before I break your legs.” 

His eyes widened for just but a second before he schooled his face once more into a neutral expression. Then he reached into his sack and pulled out a glass bottle, filled to the top with a dark blue liquid. He set it down on the table before going searching for something else. 

He set a flower down on the table. Yennefer swallowed. 

“This person must be special … for you to give up everything you wanted. Regardless, get them to drink the liquid and that will do most of the job before you. Then, hold the flower in one hand and their injury with the next and your own magic can finish the job. I believe you should be able to handle that last part, it is basic training at Aretuza, no?”

Yennefer snatched up the vial and the flower and was out of the door before he could utter another word. Let her choice be payment enough. 

* * *

Yennefer stopped before opening the door to her room, fingers tightened around the door handle. The truth was that she was absolutely and utterly terrified. That she would open the door and Tissaia would be gone. That lifeless eyes would be staring back at her, chastising her for not being fast enough. 

She opened the door, slowly. Her eyes immediately went to Tissaia’s chest, holding her own breath until she saw the laboured rising and falling that showed she was still breathing. Yennefer had made it back in time. 

She could save Tissaia. 

She would save Tissaia. 

Yennefer was by her side in an instant. “I promised you I would come back.”

“And you did,” Tissaia said, but it sounded choked and Yennefer wasn’t entirely certain if that was from the pain or the fact that there was a look in Tissaia’s eyes that she had never seen before. But the tears were running down the Rectoress’ face with such abandon that Yennefer was taken aback. 

“Why is it that you sound so surprised?” Yennefer asked softly, doing what she could to help prop Tissaia up against the pillows so she could drink whatever was in the vial. 

“Nobody has ever come back for me.”

“Then it is a damn good thing that Yennefer of Vengerburg is the farthest thing away from nobody.” 

Yennefer handed her the vial, “ I’m going to need you to drink this and then everything will feel better. And then we can go and kill the bastard that nearly took you from m- … the bastard that did this to you.”

Tissaia took the vial in her hands and poured its contents down her throat, not coming up for air until every last drop had made its way into her system. She tossed it to the side of the bed, not having the strength to do much else with it. 

Yennefer couldn’t tell if Tissaia had caught the slip in her words or not. She just hoped that the woman was so delirious from the pain that it would all be forgotten. That after this all they could say goodbye and Yennefer would never have to see her again, because she didn’t know how to deal with the fact that she was absolutely and utterly in love with Tissaia de Vries. 

“I’m going to undo your bandage now and then close the wound, okay? Just keep breathing for me please.”

“I’ll try my best,” Tissaia said, though the words were weak and Yennefer could see her eyes starting to glaze over. Yennefer would just have to hope that her own magic would be enough. 

With the flower in one hand and the next hovering over the wound, Yennefer felt the magic thrum through her veins as she pulled from the flower and pulled and pulled until Tissaia’s skin started knitting back together. 

Finally, the flower shriveled in her hands and Yennefer exhaled, her movements over Tissaia stilling. The skin was still bloody and Yennefer would likely have to come back with a damp cloth and do what she could to clean up the mess but at least Tissaia wouldn’t lose any more blood. 

She stared at the flower in her hands as it turned to ash and was eventually carried out of her fingers and scattered around the room by the wind.  _ Yes,  _ she thought,  _ sometimes the best thing a flower can do for us is die.  _

When she glanced back up to Tissaia’s face, her eyes had closed and Yennefer’s fingers immediately went to her neck searching for a pulse. It was there, steady and true. As long as Tissaia fought then the magic within her would fight as well. 

It was possible she would not be losing Tissaia to the icy clutches of death today after all. Gods, she was exhausted. Yet, there was still work to be done so she stripped Tissaia down to her underclothes, wet a cloth and cleaned up the blood that was left on her skin. 

Though the skin had closed she was still gentle, too aware of the privilege it was to have Tissaia vulnerable in front of her. Once Tissaia was cleaned up, Yennefer magicked clean sheets for the bed so once she awoke all the blood would have disappeared from the room. 

Except what was staining the floor, but that was a job for tomorrow Yennefer. Right now, she had barely enough energy to climb up in bed with Tissaia, though she kept to the other side, doing whatever she could to ensure that Tissaia had her space. 

Propping the rest of the pillows up against the post at the bottom of the bed, Yennefer kept watch over her patient. Resolving that she would not shut her eyes, not for one moment until Tissaia opened hers once more. 

Not that the sight in front of her was anything terrible to look at, no, not at all. Somehow even after getting stabbed and spending several hours fighting for her life, Tissaia still managed to look absolutely beautiful. 

And she felt something catch in her throat. Because that had almost been taken away from her today, and yet there was another realization that made it feel as though cities were crumbling inside of her. The illusion that Tissaia was larger than life itself, that there was nothing that could get to her had been absolutely shattered. For the first time, Yennefer had been forced to reckon with the fact that Tissaia could actually die. And even if Yennefer had prevented her heart from stilling today she did not know if she would be there the next time. 

And Yennefer felt absolutely paralyzed with fear because she understood now that to love was to accept vulnerability, that to love was to accept that you were loving something that death could touch. 

Yennefer had saved Tissaia today. And now she wanted nothing more than to keep saving her. Because is that not what love was? Saving each other over and over again?

* * *

It was several hours later when Tissaia opened her eyes again and true to her promise Yennefer hadn’t taken her eyes off of her. Well maybe for a few seconds so that she could light a couple of candles so the room wasn’t completely bathed in the darkness, but besides that she had maintained her vigilant watch. 

But the light of the moon was full and was streaming through the window, and everything felt … intimate. Yennefer’s heart nearly thudded out of her chest once more, the realizations she had come to now feeling much more tangible with Tissaia looking at her. 

Yennefer felt nervous, and she hated it. But Tissaia hadn’t put her guards back up and so Yennefer let herself … be open, or as open as she could be. To ignore the adrenaline rolling over her in waves telling her to run, before she fucked things up and couldn’t put the pieces back together again.

“Yennefer,” Tissaia whispered. 

Yennefer grasped at the sheets of the bed as her heart panged. She could hear it all in the way Tissaia said her name, with reverence, with awe, with longing. Or maybe that’s just what she wanted to hear. She felt like she was going to explode, everything about this moment felt so unreal and she had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t in a dream.

“Come here,” Tissaia said, in a voice that Yennefer had never heard before. It was so soft and yet so broken. “Please,” she added, as an afterthought. 

Yennefer crawled on her hands and knees until she was at Tissaia’s side, close enough that she could reach out and touch her. But she didn’t, though her fingers burned with want, to reach out and cup Tissaia’s face, to run her fingers up and down the bare skin of her arms. 

There was something heavenly about touching a lover. But she wasn’t Tissaia’s and so she kept her hands to herself. 

“Tissaia, I-”

Tissaia reached out and put her hand on Yennefer’s and she was rendered speechless. Her veins on fire. 

“Let me speak,” Tissaia said, her voice cracking, “and let me finish because I fear if I stop, I should never be able to get the words out. And that would not be fair, to either of us.”

Yennefer nodded and Tissaia’s grip on her hand tightened. Yennefer knew she shouldn’t but her fingers had a mind of their own now and they found their way around Tissaia’s until their fingers were interlaced.

“I had some time to think when you had gone. And I would like to apologize for the way that I treated you when you first came to Aretuza, as well as everything that came afterwards. I was unforgivably cruel and I … I dehumanized you on multiple occasions. You were so scared and vulnerable and I had forgotten what it felt to feel like that, until now. And I tried to force all of that vulnerability out of you because I wanted you to be strong. I recognize now that there were better ways to go about that.”

Yennefer felt the warmth of water rolling down her face but she made no effort to wipe it away. Tissaia did, reaching with her other hand to cup Yennefer’s face she brushed her thumb over the soft skin of her cheek. 

Yennefer’s breath hitched. “I- thank you. I’m still.. It’s going to take some time.”

“I understand,” Tissaia said immediately, starting to pull her hand away. Yennefer reached up to keep it there, leaning her face into her palm. She saw Tissaia swallow. 

“Why did you come to me?”

“I had been wanting to make amends for a long time, my subconscious must have picked up on that and sent me straight to you after Stregobor stabbed me and-”

“Fucking Stregobor.” 

Tissaia laughed, “I suppose if anybody would try to kill me it would be him wouldn’t it? Either way, it was important to me that I got the chance to apologize … and I- … well, I suppose that is all that matters.”

Yennefer didn’t miss her slip, “If we are being honest, then let us be honest Tissaia.”

For the first time since she had woken up, Tissaia dropped her gaze from Yennefer and she realized that Tissaia was just as scared as she was. Yennefer let Tissaia’s hand fall from her cheek. 

The candlelight illuminated Yennefer’s scar and she saw Tissaia’s eyes flick to it, then ever so slowly, allowing Yennefer plenty of time to pull away if she was uncomfortable with it Tissaia raised her finger to trace along the scar. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Tissaia, I think this is one thing that you don’t have to apologize for. It was my decision, just as it was my decision to keep them.”

“I could have handled it better.” 

“Yes,” Yennefer allowed, “you could have.” 

Tissaia met her gaze once more, “I want to do better by you. You saved my life today, I will not ever forget that. Especially when it would have been so easy to be rid of me.” 

“You forget, you saved me too, Tissaia. I am here today because of you,” Yennefer smiled. “But if you want to do better by me then be honest with me. You haven’t been able to stop touching me since you awoke.” 

Feeling brave, Yennefer did what she had been wanting all along, and lightly traced a line up the bare skin of Tissaia’s arm with her finger. 

“Nor you me.” 

Yennefer leaned forward until her forehead was against Tissaia’s, until Tissaia could smell the mint on her breath. And just like that … they both knew. Without words because neither of them had them, because there were not any words that could ever seek to hold the depth of what they felt for one another. 

But Tissaia had to try, “Yennefer I- I love you.” 

Yennefer captured Tissaia’s lips with her own, gently at first. Testing the waters, and when Tissaia parted her lips, Yennefer deepened it. Her hands went to the pins in Tissaia’s hair and pulled them all free until her hair hung loose. 

Yennefer broke away from Tissaia’s lips to nip at her neck. “You. Are. So. Fucking. Beautiful,” Yennefer said between kisses. Once they were both satisfied with the marks that Yennefer had left, Tissaia grabbed her face in her hands and brought her up until they were eye to eye. 

For the second time that day Tissaia’s breathing was laboured again, though she much more enjoyed this. She captured Yennefer’s lips in a kiss again, her hands going to the buttons of Yennefer’s corset. Her fingers worked tirelessly at the bindings until she was able to strip Yennefer of the fabric. 

“Someone is awfully excited to get me naked.”

“Someone should have stripped herself when she decided to strip me.” 

Yennefer laughed, the sound filling the entire room with its uncomplicated joy. Then she reached out for Tissaia’s hands and held them to her chest. Her face suddenly serious. 

“I was so scared I was going to lose you today. I nearly ran away while you were asleep.” 

Tissaia just looked at her, urging her with a look to keep going. 

“Loving you scares me … because the thought of losing you scares me.”

Tissaia nodded ever so slightly. “To love is to accept loss. It is scary but it is what makes it precious, what makes it worthwhile. That fear of loss, it is what tells us that what we are feeling  _ matters.  _ I do not pretend to know how long either of us have, but I plan to love you for the rest of our days.” 

“And I plan to love you even after that, Tissaia. For even death is not more powerful than what I feel for you. My love for you will outlive the whole fucking world.” 

Tissaia took Yennefer’s face in her hands once more, “Then let us challenge fate and win.” 

And when their lips met once more, it was not fireworks. No, it was the feeling of coming  _ home.  _


End file.
